Birth Photography.

Angie Knutson Photography

Angie Knutson Photography

Angie Knutson Photography

When I was pregnant with Myra, I did not know birth photography was a thing.  Had I known, my mind likely would have immediately gone to "cervical paparazzi."  NO, thank you.  Pass.  And that's fine.  Trevor and I were both there, we remember, and he got some photos.  We have photos of her all slimy and wrinkly and on my chest and the scale.  Trevor did a great job being there for me, taking it all in, and doing the best he could to get some photos.

When we become a thing, we have an instant common ground with most other people who are also that thing.  Upon becoming a parent, I became part of this club of other parents and this whole new world of conversation topics opened up.  Thrilling topics, really, like how to get your baby to fart and how to appropriately get puke out of car seat straps.  The first many times I heard people talk about birth photographers, I don't think I even paid attention.  Immediate NOPE.  But then I actually saw some photos.  These photos, to be specific.

More photos from this friend's birth here.  Photo credit to Jessica of Family Way Birth.  This friend's baby was born about a week after Myra, so it would be a long time before I would need to consider birth photography myself, but these photos really stuck with me.

Somewhere along the way, I stumbled upon a local photographer, Angie Knutson, on Instagram (@angieknutsonphotography) and started following her.  Then, one day, when I was pregnant with Niko, she posted this video.

And I was sold.  I commented saying I was interested, thought about it, mentioned it to Trevor (who was still mostly in the "that's weird" camp), then actually emailed her.  My first email asked for some basic info and by my second email I was already telling Angie all about my first labor and current placenta.  If anything noteworthy came up at doctor's appointments, I emailed her.  So many "right on track, but who knows what that really means!" emails.  I wish I still had all the texts from the day he was born.  I think she got more updates than anyone, understandably so.  I mean, we hired her to capture all the special moments leading up to, including, and following baby's arrival, so she had to know what the heck was going on.  If you want the play by play of the day Niko actually arrived, and when Angie came into the picture, check out his birth story here.

Anyway, the whole point of this is to show you all, many of whom know our family personally, how incredible these photos are.  I don't think the beauty of birth photography would have struck me in quite the same way had I not seen photos from someone I knew first.  Birth photography isn't for everyone, but I would strongly suggest considering it, and doing so early on.  Some photographers take on more than others, but any birth photographer can only do so many.  Being on call and available to take photos at any time and for as long as it takes sounds exhausting.  Babies come when they want to come, there's so much unpredictability involved.  It was so nice for Trevor to not have to worry about where the camera or phone was and just be there with me and our new baby.  We knew we'd have great pictures, but didn't have to think about them at all.  For the most part, we didn't even notice Angie was there.  Seriously.  Other brand new baby options are Fresh 48 and Newborn sessions.  The rest of these photos were all taken by AKP.  I really did try to limit the photos here, but there are so many incredible moments captured, it was difficult.  I didn't even include any of the grandparents meeting Niko.  And no, Angie isn't bribing me to write all this, we were simply that impressed with how it went.

Enjoying my epidural.

Seeing this picture brings back so many vivid memories.  The ponytail Trevor put in for me because my hair was pissing me off.  The panicky "I NEED A FAN RIGHT THIS SECOND" feeling.  How hard I felt like I was pushing, for what felt like days (12 minutes people, 12 minutes...).  The big jumble of other random feelings like nervous, anxious, excited, will my baby be okay?

The look on his face as he realized, and told me, IT'S A BOY!

We were one.

Getting acquainted with our son.

First time feeding him.

The first time Trevor held Niko.

The first time Myra laid eyes on her baby brother.

Those fresh little toes.

You can also follow Angie on Facebook here.  What can I say, I'm a fangirl.

Niko at 10 Months.

I missed a nine month post, Niko turned 10 months on December 11, and I am already procrastinating this one in the name of waiting until I "really have time to sit down and write it." #thingsthatwillneverhappen So, here goes a speed post.  Photos first because I accidentally did it that way and I'm too lazy to redo it.

So proud of himself

Pulling up in the crib that has since been lowered

Children's Museum

Children's Museum

He crosses his fingers while sucking his thumb

Chili

We all got slammed with a nasty cold

Sick baby

Spaghetti

Niko now has four teeth with a fifth on the way.  He is completely mobile now, does this dolphin kick/worm thing to get around, though he can actually crawl, too.  He is pulling up on anything and everything and we finally lowered his crib more so he can't flip himself out of it.  We're making good progress with solid foods, he loves pizza, spaghetti, yogurt, and any of the melty baby treats (puffs and the like).  No concerns about FPIES or allergies, though we haven't given him peanuts yet (no specific reason, just hasn't happened, maybe tomorrow!).  He's starting to figure out sippy cups and straw cups, but they're mostly fun to bang around.  "Dada" was first, but "Mama" is his new favorite.  He dolphin kicks his way to me and climbs on me while repeating "MAMAMAMAMAMA." I haven't weighed him, but maybe I will tomorrow and edit this for posterity.  At his 9 month check up, he was 21.5 pounds (80%ile) and 28.8 inches (70%ile)...with a 18.5 inch head (93.5%ile).  As amazing as my memory is, no, I did not remember that.  I just looked it up on our clinic portal.  He's in 18 month clothes, some 24 month, and growing quickly.  Still the happiest baby ever, Niko is a big, jolly fella who smiles with his whole face.  The ladies who watch Niko at Myra's school during her class know when he's ready for a nap because he simply stops smiling so much.

Niko usually thinks Myra is great.  She likes to stretch him and roll him over, neither of which he actually needs assistance doing.  They make each other laugh and she's a little protective of "her" things, but very good about giving him something else instead so he doesn't usually mind.  Rowdy is getting a lot more attention from Niko these days, now that he can follow him around.

I'm sure I could add plenty more, but this will have to do!

Niko At 8 Months.

Gone are the days of baby not realizing there's a giant sticker on his shirt.

Niko hit 8 months on October 11, so all of this is as of that date even though I'm a little behind. He is 21 pounds and wearing size 18 month clothes for most things, some 12 month stuff.  The 8 month mark was a big day for Niko.  His first two teeth poked through (his mandibular central incisors, to be specific...since that's how we talk around here now).

OK, I fibbed, this photo was taken on October 17.

I was letting Niko air out his bum by doing some naked time on a blanket.  He pooped and before I realized it was poop and not a fart, he ate some.  Excellent!  So, he got a bath, a diaper, and some clothes.  After that, he pushed himself into a seated position from tummy time--another first.  The grand finale of the day was when he barfed a little, twice, at bedtime.  As it turns out, poop does not agree with him.  Imagine that.

Niko is doing well with solid foods, still going slowly but we are almost through enough 'risky' foods to set him free and stop being so cautious.  He seems fine with grains and dairy.  We'll be careful through soy, eggs, and peanuts then relax.

He still wakes to nurse at night, usually "only" twice.  I blame how distracted he gets while nursing during the day and the fact that he's not actually ingesting much for solids yet.  Though I'm not totally convinced the latter has much to do with it.

Still the happiest baby in the history of the world, still Myra's most favorite little brother ever, still adores his big sister.

And, the best part, photos of Niko at 8 months old.

Thrush.

Thrush is awful.  It's yeast...on your boobs (and also in mouths, like baby mouths).  It's painful on the surface and comes with shooting pains in the breasts.  And it can be very stubborn.  I've been nursing pain free for two weeks now, so I'm comfortable enough saying I finally beat it.  That said, I'm well aware it could come back, especially with the warmer weather.  Since I got so many great tips, I decided to put them all in one place here.  I literally did all of this stuff.  I have a Thirty One tote I dubbed my thrush kit.  It's sitting on my kitchen table which is what reminded me to finish up this draft.  I'm still using my Rx, but should be able to put all this junk away very soon, just being extra cautious!  I saw two different doctors on three different occasions, had a lactation appointment, follow up with a lactation nurse, and talked to many other mothers.  It was so, so awful.  I would dread feeding Niko and have to give myself a pep talk to make it happen...then I would cry while feeding him.  It got better at some point, but only for a day or two.  I seriously considered quitting breastfeeding, but 1) I'm stubborn and 2) I knew I'd regret it once the thrush (or whatever it was, I didn't know it was thrush for the first month or so) cleared up.  I'm so glad I hung in there!

For Mom:
Don't give it a home - Yeast loves warm, moist places, so wearing breathable clothes or none at all as much as possible will help.  Thrush can just happen for no real reason, but I'm pretty sure all my babywearing while packing gave it a nice place to grow.

Don't feed it - Cutting carbs and sugar (sad, I know) will help.  Proteins and healthy fats are your friend!

Gentian Violet - Though it's messy and stains, it is generally very effective, read more here.

Vinegar - Vinegar is a natural super-cleaner.  Click here for the recipe and method for using vinegar for thrush.

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) - I think this is what put the final nail in the coffin for my thrush.  I actually took it in pill form, but this link talks about why it works and how to use it.

Prescription - Nystatin is the one I hear about most, though which actual Rx you get may vary by doctor and their theory on thrush.  Some will say many strains of yeast are getting resistant to Nystatin.  I got Ketoconazole.  It may also be important to get an Rx for baby, talk with your doctor.

All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO) - Though I didn't use this for thrush, I actually used this in the early days of nursing Myra just because I was in so much pain from latch struggles and constant pumping.  It's called all purpose because it works for just about everything.  Click here for more info.

Probiotics - The good bacteria in probiotics (also the live and active cultures in yogurt) will help fight off the yeast.

Bleach and Sun - Also addressed in this link from above.  This link, too.

Pain Management - I constantly regretted forgetting to take ibuprofen.  Click here for information on medications and breastfeeding.


For Baby:
Prescription - see above.

Gentian Violet - see above.

Pacifiers and Bottles - Boil daily.  We had a rotation of pacifiers so I was only actually boiling every 2-3 days, but would consider them dirty after no more than one day's use.  Boil your pump parts, too, if you're pumping.

Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) - see above.

Don't feed it - If baby is eating solids, keep diet in mind as mentioned above.

Diaper rash - Thrush can present as a yeast diaper rash, too, so be on the look out.  Myra had that and it was a pain.  I bleached all her diapers and used disposables until we were done treating it.  Lots of naked time!

KellyMom.com is a great resource for all things breastfeeding.  Click here for her thrush info page.  If you're looking for more general breastfeeding info, Dr. Jack Newman is also a favorite, especially his info on drinking alcohol while breastfeeding (also cited here).

Niko at 4 Months.

I finally found our monthly stickers so I guess that means I have to write monthly blog posts, too, huh?  Good idea.  I have lots of good ideas.  There is proof of that in my drafts folder of this blog.  I just need the time to sit down and finish them.  I digress.

Niko is four months old today and man does time fly.  I should copy+paste that and just change the number every month because I don't anticipate the "man does time fly" part changing.  But, these four months really have flown by and they have been entirely different than my first four months with Myra.  I learned a lot in Myra's first four months, but I really couldn't tell you how I survived.

Niko is the world's easiest baby.  He used to be the world's easiest baby who took 1-2 hours of bouncing/walking/slow dancing (but most certainly not rocking while sitting down) around a dark room to fall asleep, but now he is just the world's easiest baby.  What changed, you say?  Well, let's not beat around the bush.  We sleep trained him.  There are lots of feelings about this topic, but I'm not shy.  He's getting heavy, I have two kids, I'm alone at bedtime often, our house is for sale, and most importantly Niko needed sleep just as much as I wanted him to sleep.  So, after trying to put him down "drowsy but awake" with semi-success, we decided it was time.  For the record, sleep training (yes, cry-it-out sleep training) is where we do the bedtime routine, put him in his crib, tell him we love him, and leave.  We do not let him cry all the time and we do not ignore him in the middle of the night if he wakes up.  Night one he cried for 20 minutes then fell asleep (much faster than if I had tried to put him to sleep myself!).  The next day, there was zero crying for any of his three naps.  At bedtime, he cried off and on for 15-20 minutes.  Other than that, putting him to sleep has been a total breeze.  If we have a crazy day and he's over tired, he may fuss a bit, knock his pacifier out and need me to put it back in (he's SO close to being a finger sucker!), but he's just learned how to put himself to sleep and everyone in our house is so much better off, especially Niko.  So, say what you will about CIO sleep training, but it worked great for Myra and proved very effective for Niko, too.

It's a toss up between Myra and me for who wins as Niko's favorite person.  (He loves Daddy, too, but is gaga over us ladies right now) He sure loves his mama, but man does he light up for Myra.  We have had z-e-r-o sibling drama.  No jealousy, no hitting, no nothing.  If Niko gets pretty fired up crying and Myra has no escape (in the car, for example) she will sometimes cry (or do this awful shriek thing), but that's it.  I don't blame her.  Otherwise, she adores him and the feeling is mutual.  Niko is so, so smiley.  This big, giant, whole face smile.

Nursing is going great (minus battling thrush for 2+ months - AHHHH!!! that's one of the posts in my drafts).  He's gaining weight very well, nurses every 4-5 hours and has been waking me two times per night but it's so quick and easy it's really not a big deal.  He still loves to be carried around and 'worn' by me, but is more content in his Rock N Play or on the floor than he was as a newborn.  He actually really likes tummy time and Myra doesn't let me forget to do it.  "Want to do tummy time, buddy?"

Today we went to hang out with some friends+family (they're both, how fun is that!).  Here's Niko looking up at his (second?) cousin.

And here are some random photos from the last week or so.

We know, "Back is Best," this is an informed decision.  Zero sleep isn't good either, so we picked one.

And my 4 month postpartum belly, slowly shrinking!  I gained 50 pounds and at my six week follow up I was down 25.  I certainly haven't lost the rest of that yet, but I'm sure I've lost a little more.